Basket with filter means for automatic washer

ABSTRACT

AN UPSTANDING BASKET FOR USE IN A VERTICAL AXIS AUTOMATIC WASHING APPARATUS CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING AN AGITATOR AFFIXED TO THE INTERIOR OF THE BASKET, FILTERING MEANS DISPOSED ON THE UPSTANDING SIDE WALL OF THE BASKET AND PUMPING VANES MOUNTED ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE BASKET. IN THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, A BOTTOM PORTION OF THE BASKET, THE AGITATOR AND THE PUMPING VANES ARE IN AN INTEGRAL MOLDED PLASTIC UNIT WHICH IS JOINED TO OTHER PORTIONS TO COMPLETE THE BASKET. THE FILTERING MEANS ARE SMALL PERFORATIONS IN THE SIDE WALL OF THE BASKET WHICH ARE THE SIZE TO FILTER FOREIGN MATTER FROM THE WASHING FLUIDS. IN OPERATION, THE PUMPING VANES CAUSE FLUID DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE BASKET AND THE OUTER TUB OF THE AUTOMATIC WASHING APPARATUS TO FLOW OUTWARD AND UPWARD ALONG THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE SURROUNDING SIDE WALL TO ENTER THE INTERIOR OF THE BASKET THROUGH THE SMALL FILTERING PERFORATIONS. DURING A SPIN CYCLE, FLUID DISPOSED IN THE INTERIOR OF THE BASKET IS FORCED OUT THROUGH THE SMALL FILTERING PERFORATIONS TO WASH AWAY ANY FOREIGN MATERIAL THAT IS ACCUMULATED THEREON DURING THE WASHING OPERATION.

Dec. 14, 1971 H, TRAUBE ETAL 3,626,728

BASKET WITH FILTER MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC WASHER Filed Aug. (e, 1970: l 2 shoots-sheet 1v INV/MURS BASKET WITH FILTER MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC WASHER Filed Aug. 6, 1970 v v 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 f o o 5 o o o ./"31 o Z 43 3.9. l o 34 o o 3c? E o 4l 37 f l o o 35 q 4l l o o 54 f Il* p0 36 A 45 "I d l g.. l 50 44 .fa 44 INV/',/N'IUR I 7g4 JfZ/azze ofifezzzzef United States Patent O U.s. Cl. 6s-1s F 1o claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE An upstanding basket for use in a vertical axis automatic washing apparatus characterized by having an agitator afiixed to the interior of the basket, ltering means disposed on the upstanding side Wall of the basket and pumping vanes mounted on the exterior of the bottom wall of the basket. In the preferred embodiment, a bottom portion of the basket, the agitator and the pumping vanes are in an integral molded plastic unit which is joined to other portions to complete the basket. The filtering means are small perforations in the side wall of the basket which are the size to filter foreign matter from the washing fluids. In operation, the pumping vanes cause fluid disposed in the space between the basket and the outer tub of the automatic washing apparatus to` `fiovv outward and upward along the outer surface of the surrounding side wall to enter the interior of the basket through the small vfiltering perforations. During a spin cycle, fluid disposed in the interior of the basket is forced out through the small filtering perforations to wash away any foreign material that is accumulated thereon during the washing operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention is directed to a basket for an automatic washer and particularly a basket having an integrally formed filter.

Prior art In washing machines, the use of an agitator having vanes disposed in a tub to circulate the washing liquid or fluid along with the clothes is well known. In automatic washing machines, the agitator is disposed in the interior of an inner tub or basket which is mounted in the outer tub and has perforations to enable the ow of liquid from the basket into the outer tub. In some automatic washing machine structures, the agitator is mounted to move relative to both the basket and outer tub with either an oscillatory or vertical movement. In another type of construction disclosed in UsS. Pat. No. 2,665,576, issued on Ian. l2, 1954, the agitator is fixed to the basket and is relatively movable to only the outer tub. A molded plastic basket with an integral agitator has been proposed.

To remove the lint and other foreign material from the Washing liquids during the working operations, filters have been provided in various arrangements to filter the washing liquid. One arrangement removes a portion of the washing liquid from the tub and basket and circulates it by a pump through a iilter device prior to returning the uid to the tub. Another type of filter arrangement uses a filter which is provided in the upper side wall of the basket and a reciprocating agitator to force the washing fluid through openings in the bottom of the basket into the space between the basket and outer tub. The movement imparted by the agitator causes the -uid in the space to iiow upward around the basket to the filter which keeps lint in the space as the washing liquid returns to the basket. The filter is cleaned during the rinsing or spinning cycle Patented Dec. 14, 1971 ICG - by a reverse iiow of water through the filter. A variation on this type of filter is the provision of a filter in the bottom of, the washing basket and the provision of vanes on thevagitator which are configured to draw fiuid from the space between the basket and outer tub through the filter and into the basket during the washing cycle. When the washing cycle is nished, the draining of the washing fluid in the reverse direction through the filter Will wash away accumulations of lint.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an upstanding perforate basket for an automatic washing apparatus which basket has agitation means and pump means affixed thereto with the pump means circulating iiuid through a filtering means which is also affixed to the upstanding basket. Preferably, the pump means are pumping vanes which are attached to the bottom of the perforate basket and the filtering means are a group of small perforations in the surrounding side Wall of the basket. In the preferred embodiment, a bottom portion of the basket, the agitator and the pumping means are an integrally molded plastic unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is an isometric view of an automatic washing machine having portions broken away to illustrate the upstanding basket of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the upstanding basket of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the upstanding basket of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of a basket of the present invention taken along lines IV-IV of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The principles of the present invention can be employed in many different types of vertical axis washing machines orxapparatus and particularly in an automatic vertical axis washing apparatus. It should be understood therefore that the particular machine hereinafter described is merely exemplary of a type of machine in which the principles of the present invention find utility.

The particular machine shown in FIG. l is a vertical axis automatic Washing apparatus generally indicated by reference numeral 10 having an outer cabinet 11 provided With an outwardly opening access lid 12. A splash shield 13 forms a part of the back assembly of the cabinet, and a control panel 14 including control means, such as a normal sequence control knob 15 is mounted on the shield 13.

A stationary impervious outer tube 16 is mounted on an internal support frame 17. The perforated basket or inner tub 18 of the present invention is mounted for both rotational and oscillatory movement in the outertub 16.

To fill the tub 16, a water inlet means including a solenoid mixing valve 19, which controls both the ow of water from a source and the mixing of the hot and cold Water to obtain the desired temperature, has an outlet line 20 extending to a water fixture 21 which discharges into the tub 16. To remove water from the tub 16, a pump means 22 is connected to the tub 16 by a drain line 23 and discharges into a conduit 24 to an exterior drainage system. If the machine 10 has a suds return feature, the pump means 22 will include means to discharge the washing liquid to storage means and include means for subsequently returning the washing liquid to the tub 16.

To drive the pump and to cause the movement of the basket 18, a motor 25 acting through a drive system generally indicated at 26 is mounted on the support frame 17 Suitable control means are provided for the motor and drive system so that the basket can be oscillated and rapidly rotated during the washing and spinning cycle, respectively. The control means also controls the filling and emptying of the tub 16 during the washing and rinsing cycle.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the basket 18 has a bottom wall 30 and a surrounding upstanding side wall 31 which extends to an inturned flanged periphery 32 which defines a top opening of the basket. An agitator 34 is axially mounted in the interior of the basket 18 and, as illustrated, is integral therewith. The agitator 34 has a hub portion 35 connected by a frusto-conical wall 36 to the bottom wall 30 of the basket 18. The hub portion 35 has an axial extending passageway 37 having a large diameter portion 38 and a smaller diameter portion 39 which can have their interior surfaces appropriately configured such as by provision of splines for receiving drive means (not illustrated) of the drive system 25. To agitate the washing fluid in the basket, the agitator has four vanes 41 extending from the hub portion 35 along the conical f surface 36 to the bottom wall 30. The vanes 41 can be either of a planar or curved configuration.

The upstanding side wall 31 is provided with filter means between the bottom 30 and peripheral edge 32. The filter means is defined by a group of perforations or openings 43 which are provided in circular rows with the adjacent circular rows offset to provide a staggered configuration as illustrated. The bottom wall 30 also is provided with a group of perforations or openings 44 to enable draining of the washing fluid from the basket and a third group of openings or perforations 45 are provided in the frusto-conical portion 36. As illustrated, the perforations 43 are substantially smaller in diameter than the perforations 44 and 45. For example, perforations 43 may be approximately 1A; of an inch in diameter whereas all the perforations in group 44 may be approximately 9x16 of an inch in diameter and the perforations 45 in the conical portion 36 may be 3/s of an inch in diameter. Thus, liquid passing through the perforations 43 in the side wall 31 will be filtered to remove lint and other foreign matter. The number of perforations in each group is selected t ensure proper fluid flow during the washing cycles. For example, with the above stated perforation sizes, the group of side wall perforations 43 are arranged in a nine inch band containing fifteen hundred perforations; the goup of perforations 46 has seventy-two perforations and the group of perforations 45 has twelve perforations.

As best illustrated in FIG. 1, there is a space 48 between the interior of the tub 16 and the bottom and side wall of the basket 18. Thus, a portion of the washing fiuid or rinsing uid is disposed in the space 48 between the basket 18 and the tub 16 during the washing or deep rinsing cycle. To create a circulation of the fluid in the space 48 and a flow of fluid from the space 48 through the filter perforations 43, pumping means are provided and as illustrated comprise a plurality of pumping vanes 50 which are attached to the exterior surface of the bottom 30 of the basket 18. The pumping vanes 50 which can be of a planar or curved configuration cause an outward and upward flow of the fluid in the space 48 and the uid flow while moving upward will flow into the basket through the filter means formed by the perforation 43. As fiuid is owing into the basket 18 through the filter means, the action of the pumping vanes 50 will draw fluid from the basket through the perforations 44 and 45 in the bottom wall and frustoconical portion. Thus, the pumping vanes 50 create a circular movement of the fiuid in the tub 16 passing from the interior of the basket 18 through the perforations 44 and 48 around the exterior and back into the interior of the basket through the openings 43. This circular movement of the washing fluid lters out lint and other foreign matter which is carried in the washing fluid and traps the lint in the space 48.

During draining of the washing liquid at the completion of the washing operation, the foreign matter and lint trapped in the space 48 is removed from the tub 16 without contacting the clothes in the basket 18. During the spin cycle, the centrifugal forces cause the rinsing liquid to flow from the basket 18 through the perforations 43 in the opposite direction and this reverse flow washes or dislodges an accumulation of lint from the exterior of the side wall 31. Thus, the filter means is self-cleaned by the flow of the fluid during the draining and the spin cycles.

The basket 18 is preferably formed or assembled from molded plastic sections with the agitator 34 and the pumping vanes 58 integrally molded with the bottom wall 30 as a bottom section 60. The cylindrical side wall 31 is formed as a section 61 and the upper periphery is separately molded as a third or upper section 62. Each of the sections is provided with coacting stepped peripheral edges such as 64 to facilitate the joining of the sections together to form the basket '18.

Since the agitator 34 is integral or mounted with the basket 18, the drive system y25 does not require separate shaft means for oscillating or driving the agitator. By utilizing the pumping vane such as 50, a separate pump to circulate the washing liquid or the provision in the pump means 22 to circulate the Washing liquid during the washing cycle is not required. Thus, the utilization of the lbasket 18 enables a reduction of cost in producing the washing apparatus 10 by simplifying the construction of the drive system and by simplifying the requirements for the pump means.

By forming a filter means from the perforations 43 in the side wall 31, the filtering capacity, because of the increased effective area of the filtering element, is larger than in those devices having a separate filter means and a larger amount of lint can be filtered out without effecting the amount or rate of the liuid flow through the filter. Furthermore, the lter is self-cleaning without requiring the special pump or valve to divert a portion of the washing fluid therethrough.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to employ within the scope of the patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a vertical axis automatic washing apparatus the improvement comprising an upstanding perforate basket, agitation means affixed to said basket within its interior, pumping means fixed to said basket, and filtering means affixed to said basket for filtering a washing liquid pumped by said pumping means.

2. In a vertical axis for automatic washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pumping means comprises vanes disposed on the exterior of the basket so that oscillation of the basket during the washing cycle causes pumping of a washing liquid disposed adjacent the vanes.

3. In a vertical axis for automatic washing apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the perforate basket has a bottom, and a surrounding side wall having an upper periphery defining an open top, said filtering means being disposed in the side wall between the peripheral edge and the bottom wall so that a washing liquid entering the basket through the side wall is filtered.

4. EIn a vertical axis for automatic washing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said filtering means comprises a plurality of perforations through the side wall, said perforations having a size to prevent passage of foreign matter in the washing liquid from entering the basket.

5. ln a vertical axis for automatic washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the agitation means is integral with the perforate basket.

6. In a vertical axis automatic washing apparatus the improvement comprising an upstanding basket having a perforate bottom, and a surrounding perforate side wall With an upper peripheral edge dening a top opening, the perforations of said side wall being generally smaller than the perforations of said bottom, agitation means affixed to said basket within its interior, and at least one vane depending from the exterior of said bottom to define means for pumping washing uid disposed outside of the basket.

7. 'In a Vertical axis for automatic washing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said agitation means and said vanes are integral with the bottom of the upstanding basket.

8. In a vertical axis automatic washing apparatus having a drive system connected to an upstanding basket mounted for movement in an outer imperforate tub, the upstanding #basket having a perforate 'bottom and a surrounding perforate side wall terminating in an upper periphery defining an open top, and agitation means disposed in the basket, the improvement comprising the perforations on said side wall being generally smaller than the perforations on said bottom to define filtering means for the washing uid, and at least one vane depending from said bottom of said basket so that during oscillation 6 of said basket in the tub, said vane pumps tluid disposed in a space between the basket and tub to cause it to circulate into the basket through the filtering means to trap foreign material andlint in the space.

9. In a vertical axis automatic washing apparatus according to claim 81, wherein said agitation means, the bottom of said basket, and said vane are integrally formed as a single unit.

t10. In a vertical axis automatic washing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said integral unit is formed of molded plastic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,705,779 3/1929 Nelson 68-23 1,902,165 3/1933 Hansen 68-184 2,421,242 5/1947 Clark 68-236 2,498,734 2/11950 Bozanich 68-23 3,402,576 9/1968 Krupsky 68-18 F WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner` U.S. Cl. XR. 68-23, 151 

